21 Best Playboi Carti Hit Songs
Playboi Carti is one of the most famous rappers in America, especially amongst the younger generation of Gen Z. Carti started gaining a following around 2016 on SoundCloud, becoming one of the most notable “SoundCloud rappers.”
Keep reading to discover which songs are a part of the best Playboi Carti hit songs.
1. “wokeuplikethis*” by Playboi Carti & Lil Uzi Vert
Song Year: 2017
“wokeuplikethis*” was the lead single for Playboi Carti’s self-titled debut commercial album featuring Lil Uzi Vert. Carti and Lil Uzi first collaborated in 2016 on Lil Uzi’s album The Perfect LUV Tape, when Carti was featured on the track, “Of Course, We Ghetto Flowers.” The duo quickly became close friends and released wokeuplikethis* shortly after.
“wokeuplikethis*” is a track where Carti and Lil Uzi brag about their newfound success and influence on the rap genre. In the main chorus, Carti notices how other rappers are starting to copy his style and casually laughs it off.
The beat is exceptionally light for a trap song, but it accompanies the unique styles of the rappers. In it, they rap about a drug-fueled lifestyle in which they have so much money and fame that they can’t be bothered.
2. “Sky” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2020
“Sky” is the most popular song from Carti’s 2020 album Whole Lotta Red. Whole Lotta Red is one of the most polarizing rap albums of the century, featuring extremely dark lyrics and heavy, video-game-inspired beats. “Sky” perfectly encapsulates the album’s energy and aesthetic. The song's title is about how high Carti is from all the substances.
The substances that Carti is talking about in the song are weed and lean (codeine cough syrup), combining the two to numb his emotions.
3. “Magnolia” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2017
Magnolia was the biggest hit from Carti’s self-titled album and was one of the most popular songs in the United States during 2017. The song is famous for popularizing the “Milly rock,” which is mentioned in the song's chorus.
Magnolia is directly referencing the Magnolia Projects, a rough neighborhood in New Orleans, which is why Carti claims that he is similar to those from the area. The song features an aloof, upbeat trap beat produced by Pi’erre Bourne; Carti floats on the beat in his signature nonchalant rapping style primarily consisting of adlibs.
4. “Shoota” (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
After the success that the duo found in their previous collaborations Carti featured Lil Uzi on Shoota, a track from Carti’s 2018 album Die Lit. At the time, Lil Uzi was number one on the Billboard Top 100 Rap Songs, and the two rappers were feeling themselves.
The song is primarily about the two rappers' claims to fame and how fame hasn’t changed them. Both rappers came from rough areas and rapped about their life in the streets throughout their discography.
Despite having all the money and fame, the rappers insist that their lifestyle is only more exacerbated than ever due to their fame and money. The song's title is about rappers’ affiliations and how they plan to handle their opposition now that they have fame.
5. “Long Time – Intro” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
This songwas the first track on Carti’s 2018 album Die Lit. Itfeatures a different theme and message than other songs on the album. Carti raps about his perseverance during his rise to fame and how hard he worked to attain his following. It’s rare to see such a reflective version of Carti in his music, but that makes the track so much more special to his fans.
The production is focused primarily on the synths and surrounding drums, managing to give the track an extremely positive aesthetic.
6. “Fell In Luv” (feat. Bryson Tiller) by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
Another great Playboi Carti song, Fell In Luv is a track from Carti’s 2018 album Die Lit, featuring Bryson Tiller. Bryson Tiller was one of the most well-known RnB artists at the time and had previous experience with plenty of rappers.
The song's production is exceptionally rough, but in a good way. The beat is choppy, and the bass is raw, making the song stand out amongst all the unique beats on the album.
Carti comes onto the beat extra gently, with an upbeat tone, rapping about his own experience with love. Bryson Tiller fit the aesthetic of the track perfectly, coming in later in the track with his signature smooth delivery, talking about his own love life.
7. “FlatBed Freestyle” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
FlatBed Freestyle is a track from Carti’s Die Lit album that fits the rest of the album very well. The track's message focuses on the typical lifestyle that rappers have, which includes girls, drugs, and enemies.
Despite many songs on Die Lit seeming to talk about the same things and not many tracks having much lyrical substance, that’s the exact appeal of Carti. Songs like FlatBed Freestyle don’t require intense focus to understand the song's meaning because it is in the aesthetic that the track brings. It inherently brings good vibes to any setting.
8. “ILoveUIHateU” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2020
ILoveUIHateU has unique production amongst the incredibly polarizing beats featured on Whole Lotta Red, primarily due to the track being only two songs on the album produced by Carti’s longtime friend and producer Pi’erre Bourne.
It’s a classic Pi’erre Bourne beat that seemingly makes Carti float on and off the spaced-out beat. The song has a lot of rapping in adlibs and heavy mumbling.
It focuses on using Carti’s vocals as an instrument instead of communicating a specific message. Carti mumbles through a drug-fueled verse about how his relationships and perception of life are changing due to the drugs.
9. “Foreign” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
Foreign is a Pi’erre Bourne-produced track featured on Carti’s Die Lit album. The song's title references Carti’s lifestyle due to the connotation that foreign things are more expensive; Carti raps about foreign women, foreign cars, and vacationing in foreign countries.
Pi’erre Bourne's unique production style paired perfectly with Carti’s vocals. Due to the rapper and producer collaborating on so many tracks that eventually made Carti famous, Pi’erre’s upbeat production became synonymous with Carti’s unique voice.
10. “Love Hurts” (Feat. Travis Scott) by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
Love Hurts marked the first collaboration between superstar rapper Travis Scott and Playboi Carti; the song appeared on Die Lit in 2018. Travis Scott and Playboi Carti possibly have the two most recognizable and distinct vocals out of all modern rappers, even though they’re typically opposites aesthetically in their music.
Love Hurts has extremely grungy and heavy production that matches the aesthetic of Travis Scott quite well. Both rappers refer to themselves as rockstars, and that’s why they’re so similar. The rockstar lifestyle carries a certain unspoken aura of not caring, and Love Hurts represents that.
11. “Location” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2017
Location is a favorite of Carti’s most prominent fans because it's such a unique track for the rapper. Featured on Carti’s self-titled debut album, Location was the introduction song to the album and carried divine energy about it that leaves no other feeling than Carti winning.
We can best describe the beat as spaced-out, psychedelic, and, as said before, divine. The track features a sample from a 1989 song, Endomorph, by Allan Holdsworth. The sample is layered with modern drums and extends throughout the song, creating an atmosphere that feels holy.
12. “New Choppa” by Playboi Carti & A$AP Rocky
Song Year: 2017
New Choppa is a track from Carti’s self-titled album that features rapper A$AP Rocky, who was famous long before Playboi Carti. A$AP Rocky was among the most popular rappers in the US, and Carti had previously collaborated with him on The Cozy Tapes Vol 1 & 2.
The production on the track is much different than the usual upbeat style that Carti is usually featured in; it resembles A$AP Rocky’s heavy trap style. It’s a great song for dancing or parties.
A$AP Rocky delivered a heavy verse that amazingly complimented Carti’s unique (by Carti’s standards) verse and production.
13. “Flex” by Playboi Carti & Levan Kali
Song Year: 2017
Flex is another popular Playboi Carti Song for Carti’s biggest fans as it’s the most similar song to Location. Flex is featured on Carti’s self-titled album along with Location. The two pieces are unique due to their light and upbeat sound. The chorus features singer Levan Kali with a beautiful voice contrasting Carti’s purposefully rough vocal inflections.
Many Carti fans are so fond of Flex because of the aesthetic of the time and the nostalgia that comes with it. It’s one of his sadder, more sentimental rap songs. Carti has evolved as a rapper and no longer has the same style, leaving fans to reminisce about their first time hearing Carti on upbeat tracks such as Flex.
14. “Middle of the Summer” (Feat. Red Coldhearted) by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
Middle Of The Summer is a track from Die Lit that features the female Atlanta rapper, Red Coldhearted. Red Coldhearted is featured heavily and works perfectly on the upbeat style of Carti’s usual production. The two rap about their preference for women and how they want to live their lifestyles.
The song is fast-paced and upbeat, much like the rest of Die Lit, but the feature by Red Coldhearted brought feminine energy to the track that worked perfectly with the vibe Carti displayed throughout the album.
15. “No Time” (Feat. Gunna) by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
No Time features Atlanta rapper Gunna, who was not all that famous when releasing the song. The track is on Die Lit and is similar to other Carti songs with features. The production seems to focus on Gunna’s usual style so that Carti can adapt his rapping.
Gunna is a director mentee of Young Thug along with Lil Baby, and their respective styles reflect the laid-back vibe of Young Thug. Gunna uses heavy auto-tune and a monotone delivery that works excellent with spacey beats, so the production was a more spaced-out Carti-esque beat.
The two rappers create an atmosphere that blocks them from negativity, insinuating that there’s nothing that can bother the rappers, given their lifestyles.
16. “Choppa Won’t Miss” (feat. Young Thug) by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2018
Choppa Won’t Miss is a track off of Die Lit that features legendary rapper Young Thug. Young Thug has been a famous rapper since the early 2010s and has the respect of the entire industry due to his charisma.
Young Thug’s personality and aesthetic are the first rendition of the aesthetic that Carti would eventually go for, a feminine male that’s confident and unique. Carti is a fashion influencer due to his confidence in wearing feminine items such as crop tops and makeup, much like Young Thug appeared in a dress on the album cover for his 2016 release Jeffrey.
The track features a typical Carti beat produced by Pi’erre Bourne but with the added energy and emotion of Young Thug. The two eccentric personalities create a unique song because their unique vocal inflections and adlibs blend well.
17. “Place” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2020
Place is a track from Carti’s 2020 album, Whole Lotta Red, which went massively viral on TikTok in 2021. The track is Carti, by himself, rapping about his new Place and how it's full of drugs and women.
Place is the other of the two tracks produced by Pi’erre Bourne on Whole Lotta Red, the other being Sky. It’s no coincidence that the two tracks on the album Pi’erre produced were the most popular. That’s just what fans are so used to hearing.
The jarring production featured throughout the rest of Whole Lotta Red is so polarizing because it’s so different from the spacey beats from Pi’erre Bourne that fans are used to.
18. “Vamp Anthem” by Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2020
In the year or two leading up to the release of Whole Lotta Red, Carti had transitioned his aesthetic to be reminiscent of classical vampires. Carti even samples an infamous track from the legendary producer Bach that he wrote in 1704, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. The sample track has been used in cinema for centuries when ghastly figures of terror appear.
Vamp Anthem is an energetic rendition of the classic sample featuring modern drums and fast-paced vocals from Carti. Carti’s vocals are incredibly aggressive throughout the song, especially about his enemies. The song is supposed to encapsulate the vampiric atmosphere that Carti was trying to create within the album, hence the title.
19. “Of Course, We Ghetto Flowers” (feat. Playboi Carti & Offset) by Lil Uzi Vert
Song Year: 2016
Of Course, We Ghetto Flowers was the first time that Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert collaborated on a song, making it popular with their hardcore fans. During 2016 the two rappers were blowing up on SoundCloud simultaneously and capitalized on their success when Carti appeared on The Perfect LUV Tape.
The song features heavy adlib use, which the two rappers quickly popularized at the time. Instead of long verses with complicated rhymes and messaging, the rappers focused on the song's aesthetic, backed with short fragments of lyrics meant to serve a more instrumental purpose than lyrical messaging.
20. “Beef” by Ethereal & Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2015
Beef is one of Carti’s less-known songs, but his diehard fans widely consider it a classic in his discography. Beef is a single in which Carti collaborated with fellow SoundCloud rapper Ethereal all the way back in 2015.
The song marks Carti’s first official appearance in the music industry and will forever be cherished by his fans.
The track features a classic sound of the SoundCloud era with production that's grungy and rough around the edges. It has hard-hitting 808s with mumbling and adlibs over the beat, marking the original sound that Carti would stick with for the following years.
21. “Saucin’ – Remix” by LUCKI & Playboi Carti
Song Year: 2015
Saucin’ is one of the first appearances by Playboi Carti in the music scene. LUCKI is an infamous SoundCloud rapper that’s still a part of the underground scene as opposed to the commercial scene that Carti has transitioned to.
The two rappers go back and forth with mumblings about drugs and women over a nonchalant but heavy beat. You can hear Carti’s most natural rapping on the track before experimenting with the signature vocal inflections he’d become famous for.
The song is similar to Beef in that it’s thought of so fondly by Carti’s diehard fans due to the nostalgia that comes with the track. Many Carti fans became fans during his underground periods on SoundCloud in 2015 and 2016. Saucin’ captures that era of Carti perfectly and is cherished by his fans for that very reason.
Playboi Carti Hit Songs, Final Thoughts
Playboi Carti has a unique rapping style and is one of the most polarizing rappers of the modern era. Carti has gained a cult-like following not just due to his music but his mystic personality encapsulated within his aesthetic and songs.
There are so many Playboi Carti hit songs that it was hard to choose which ones to feature. What did you think of this list?
